Jayne tore up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She strode down the hallway towards Mike’s office, a young police officer trailing in her wake.

“Ms Seymour,” he called out hopefully. “Hold on please, ma’am.”

Jayne ignored him and upped her pace.

Outside Mike’s office, his PA scrambled to her feet as she spotted Jayne on a collision course. “Wait, please,” she said, sticking out her arm.

“I need to see Detective Chief Superintendent Wilson right away,” Jayne said, her tone barely controlled.

“He’s in a meeting right now. If you’ll take a seat.”

“I’m sure he’ll want to hear what I have to say.” Ignoring the open-mouthed horror of Mike’s assistant, Jayne knocked once before pushing open Mike’s office door.

Three pairs of eyes swivelled in her direction.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she said as the PA hovered to her right, mumbling apologies that weren’t hers to make. “I need a word with you.” Jayne fixed a stare on Mike. “Urgently.”

“Jayne, can you please wait outside,” Mike said through gritted teeth, his face pale, apart from two angry pink splodges on his cheeks. “I’m in a meeting.”

“You’re going to want to hear what I have to say, Mike.”

He half rose from his seat. “I am in a meeting with Assistant Commissioner Grimwald and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Saunders. Wait outside. Now.” His tone was adamant. As Jayne made eye contact with the two seniors filling Mike’s office, they looked even less impressed with her uninvited interruption than Mike had been.

“Sorry,” she said even as she straightened her spine in an unapologetic show. “I’ll be right outside,” she added firmly for Mike’s benefit.

Mike’s PA gave her a withering glance before burying her head in her computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she noisily typed. The young policeman who’d escorted her to the chief superintendent’s office bounced from foot to foot as if wondering what to do next. Eventually, he mumbled something about paperwork and left.

Jayne paced, hating the cooling of heels that had been foisted upon her. After fifteen minutes, the door to Mike’s office opened, and the assistant commissioner and deputy assistant commissioner walked out, both looking sombre. They didn’t even glance in her direction as they set off down the hall. Mike cocked his head, signalling for her to follow him.

Before he’d even slammed the door behind her, he bellowed, “What the fuck was that, Jayne? Thank you very much for embarrassing me in front of not just my boss, but my boss’s boss. Jesus!”

Jayne nibbled on her bottom lip. “Sorry, Mike. Really. But something has come up in relation to the case I spoke to you about.”

Mike narrowed his eyes. The tinge of red on his cheeks had travelled and now covered his entire neck in angry blotches. “The fact that you have an obvious sidebar going on with your client does not give you the right to barge into my office and behave in such an adolescent manner. Nor does our history.”

Jayne straightened. “Firstly, there is nothing going on between my client and me. And secondly, our history? We don’t have a history, Mike. We have a professional relationship where I scratch your back and you scratch mine, when needed. A drunken pass years ago from a man who should have known better does not constitute a history.”

Mike lowered himself into his chair, his hands gripping the arms until his knuckles turned white. “Well, Jayne, if you’re looking for my help, you’re not going about it the right way.”

Jayne sat in one of the two chairs opposite, the leather still warm from its previous occupant—an errant observation that was not in the least bit welcome. She squirmed and perched her backside on the very edge.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, this time with more feeling.

Mike steepled his fingers under his chin. “I’ve never seen you like this, Jayne. This guy must be something special to ruffle your feathers on this scale.”

An uncomfortable feeling stirred in Jayne’s gut. She was unwilling to acknowledge her innermost thoughts to herself, let alone share them with anyone else. “Rubbish,” she said, waving her hand dismissively in the air. “Hear me out, please.”

Mike nodded, his keen blue eyes focused on Jayne as she relayed what Rupe had found out about Fisher. When she finished, Mike leaned back in his chair and threaded his hands behind his head.

“Well?” Jayne said when Mike remained silent. “It’s a conflict of interest at best. And it brings into question the entire case evidence against my client.”

“It’s not ideal, I’ll give you that.”

“Not ideal?” Jayne scoffed. “The man has a clear vendetta against my client. I want him immediately suspended. I want someone else reviewing the evidence, and then I want this case dropped.”

“Steady on,” Mike said. “I can’t simply jump to conclusions on your say-so.”

Jayne’s skin began to prickle as rage boiled up inside her. Stay calm.

“Are you questioning my word?” she said, her voice trembling with an undercurrent of warning.

“No. I’m saying I need to look into things before I can act. Leave it with me.”

As Jayne began to speak, Mike held up his hand. “I said, leave it with me.”

Doing her best to curb her growing anger, Jayne rose from her seat. She leaned forward, placing both hands flat on Mike’s desk. “Twenty-four hours, Mike. I’ll be back tomorrow. I don’t care that it’s Saturday. I’m sure you agree this is best dealt with quickly. We don’t want the press finding out about a bent police officer.”

Mike’s face smouldered beneath a chilly expression. His lips were pressed into a flat line, his eyes narrowed to slits as he studied her face in silence. His chest rose and fell as he took a couple of deep breaths, clearly trying to calm himself down. Jayne inwardly cursed. She should have known better—Mike wasn’t the type to respond well to threats. She needed him to play ball, and she needed him on her team.

She softened her features. “I’m sorry. That was out of order. You know I’d never leak something like that to the press, and it’s not my place to make demands. I know how busy you are, but I’d appreciate it if you could look into this matter as soon as possible. An innocent man’s freedom is on the line here, not to mention his reputation.”

Mike blew out a soft breath through his nose, and his lips curved into a wry smile. “You always could wrap me around your little finger, Jayne. I’ll look into it, but it’ll be Monday. I’ve promised Tanya that I’ll take her and Jenna to the beach this weekend. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”

Jayne walked around to Mike’s side of the desk and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “You’re a legend,” she said with a smile.

Mike rolled his eyes, but he didn’t look displeased. “Get out of here, woman. I’ve got a job to do.”

Jayne picked up her handbag. “When this is over, drinks are on me,” she said as she left Mike’s office.

She darted downstairs, the heavy weight on her shoulders lifting slightly. Mike’s job these days might involve pushing papers and managing ever-decreasing budgets, but in his heart, he was still a copper and one of the best. If anyone could get to the bottom of this in record time, it was Mike.

As soon as Jayne cleared the building, certain she was out of earshot, she called Rupe. Time to give him a piece of good news that he could cling to.